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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Launched April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Announced March 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax S1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was launched 15 months after the S1 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-M5 scores versus the S1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax S1

 E-M5 S1 
AnnouncedApril 2012March 2011Newer by 15 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kCrisper screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-M5

 S1 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax S1

 E-M5 S1 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has got physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has proportions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax S1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 and the S1.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and S1 is 81 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and S1.

Clearly, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography factors
Pentax S1 Portrait photography factors
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
35
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography advice
Pentax S1 Street photography advice
82
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts touch focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Pentax S1
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
lack of phase detect autofocus
39
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography features
Pentax S1 Travel photography features
66
weather proofing
boasts touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Landscape photography camera
73
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
doesn't have Timelapse mode
42
focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging factors
Pentax S1 Vlogging factors
34
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone jack
28
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Pentax S1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pentax Optio S1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-04-30 2011-03-02
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 157g (0.35 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 260 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $799 $174